It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

ceridwen

Personally - I think one of the single biggest incentives to keep an eye on my money and make sure I get value for it is to bear in mind how many hours of my life have gone on earning it. Thats why I reacted strongly the other day to that post about a child deliberately ruining a new £300 bike because he didnt like the colour - well, that doesnt take into account that in the parents' position I would have taken the child in with me to choose the bike in the first place (so the question wouldnt have arisen of them disliking the colour) - but £300 to me would represent quite a few hours of my life at w**k and that bike being deliberately trashed would have meant I had thrown away hours and hours of my life that I could have done something more enjoyable/useful with (the thought of over a week at w**k thrown down the drain would be very upsetting:eek:) - but then maybe the parents of that child are amongst the lucky ones who actually like their job.

vegankris

deniseduck wrote: »

Hi,
I've just frozen loads of kale which I grew over the winter, but really, my husband doesn't really like kale, I've found!
I've tried putting a little bit in with mashed potato and minced cooked lamb which I made into things a bit like rissoles, which did go down, but I've got loads more to use up, so any more ideas would be very welcome.
Thanks.

Put it in a curry maybe, the spices will disguise the strong flavour? That said, I like kale!

karren

have tried to talk to them about it, but the attitude is that they have to go into debt for these things because the money coming in is just not enough to live on. Yet when you look at how they spend its easy to see places t o make huge savings, not even by making radical changes just small stuff that would make a big difference.

I agree, me and the oh live very comfortably on what we earn which is abot 25,000 between us, we work 35 and 30 hours me being the least, we juggle childcare between us, we have a 60,000 morgage run 2 cars and the children dont go without by any means and we are very happy, yet our friends earn in a n excess of 50,000 and yet they are in debt and moan constantly how skint they are, i wish!
thier kids have to have the latest gadgets dont appreciate anything and they like to keep up with the jones's attitude.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Interesting reading,how we all manage.
I have to admit we're lucky we have fair above the average wage but we all share out our finances in our family.When we've paid our bills we help out our daughters with whatever the children need and on top, pay for school trips ect.
I remember all too well how hard it was bringing up my own children ad so we have always bought most things for the grandchildren as we feel it only fair and if one of the family need helping out we all chip in.
It's just our way and it works for us.

karren

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote: »

Interesting reading,how we all manage.
I have to admit we're lucky we have fair above the average wage but we all share out our finances in our family.When we've paid our bills we help out our daughters with whatever the children need and on top, pay for school trips ect.
I remember all too well how hard it was bringing up my own children ad so we have always bought most things for the grandchildren as we feel it only fair and if one of the family need helping out we all chip in.
It's just our way and it works for us.

I wish my parents and in laws were like you! My mum is very very selfish and soon as i was 17 I was out on my ear! And OH parents have emigrated but they would never ever have helped liked that if they could have afforded too, the attitiude is whats mine is mine thank you very much!!!
But I adore my children and hope that I can help them to have an easier life that Ive had so I quess they did teach us a lesson, how to be better paretns than they were.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Karen,I wish you best of luck.
I am the way I am with my children because my grandmother brought me up as my parents even though they were married did'nt want me.
My one aim in life from being very young was to have a family of my very own and I wanted to do things right.
I can't say I have done that,but I try and we are all very close and care for each other despite the arguments and fall outs along the way.
I bet your'e a wonderful mum and all the money in the world can't buy that.

mummysaver

deniseduck wrote: »

Hi,
I've just frozen loads of kale which I grew over the winter, but really, my husband doesn't really like kale, I've found!
I've tried putting a little bit in with mashed potato and minced cooked lamb which I made into things a bit like rissoles, which did go down, but I've got loads more to use up, so any more ideas would be very welcome.
Thanks.

Can you turn it into a sort of crispy fried seaweed? I finely chop and stick in the oven with a bit of soy sauce and some brown sugar, cheap, easy and tasty!

Or I use it a lot finely chopped into ribbons then stir fried with garlic, ginger and chilli, then stir it through tagliatelle, doesn't taste green veggie then!

adouglasmhor

Sauerkraut from kale?

http://www.suite101.com/discussion.cfm/food_preservation/6847/51935

mummysaver

Good afternoon everyone!

Not been on for ages and ages! Lovely to see you all again! And interesting posts regarding wages and incomes, as always inspiring and thought provoking!

My income dropped pretty dramatically when my oh and I separated, but thanks to having learnt how to cope and cook and make do and mend and shop wisely we are doing okay! Yes I do now get tax credits, I could go back to work full time, currently I work 3 nights a week, but that would mean someone else looking after my dd3, whereas this way she is babysat by my ds and dd1 and is asleep whilst I'm out anyway! And tbh, I have paid so many thousands in tax over the years that I don't feel too guilty about a couple of years of claiming what I am entitled to by the government, lord knows they are only too willing to help themselves! In about 18 months dd3 will be at middle school, so out of the house from 8am till 4.30pm, so will be home at the same time as my big ones, so I am planning longer working hours then, and hopefully will be able to organise child care swaps with friends and neighbours to cover the holidays, as I don't want to leave my other children to take all the responsibility.

I guess that in many ways I am very lucky, their dad earns a large salary and we have come to an amicable agreement about how much he gives me for them, perhaps not as much as the CSA or whoever they are now would make him pay, but he still needs to live, and the kids would hardly thank me for making him destitute unneccessarily, and he is more than happy to pay for school trips and uniforms and extra bits and bobs that all children seem to need, be it shoes or coats or something a bit more luxurious, like days out for them with their friends - extra pocket money really I guess.

I actually popped on here cos I was so excited in Asda yesterday I almost did a little dance, they currently have bottles of passata at 4 for £1, which is a great deal cheaper than tinned toms or any passata I've found recently! As anyone who's a regular will know, tomato prices are one of my bugbears, we use so many, roll on summer when we can pick our own!

Veggies are coming on a treat, dd2 has discovered a passion for gardening, and is really good at making anything grow, so this year I have high hopes of self sufficiency, well almost anyway!

ds has found a passion for homebrewing! Perhaps not surprising in a teenage boy, cider and lager are so quick and easy and surprisingly are quite nice, and my wine is happily fermenting away, can't wait for blackberry season so make some from them as well! Nothing like having a kitchen of lads all messing around making me some wine - they are so funny, none of them like it but all enjoy making it! And they have some very happy parents who have been round to share the fruits of their labours!

I have no great wisdom to impart for those looking for jobs, all I know is that I work for Mr T's and we have not been recruiting at all at our store recently, but now have vacancies on the checkouts, so perhaps things are looking up a bit? But good luck to everyone looking, the frustration must be enormous.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for being here and I'm gonna make a cuppa and have a read back and see what you've all been up to recently! xx

[Deleted User]

ooh i work for Mr Ts too